[#8] DGNA/The Boss - "Lady"

From: "Lady" (Single)
Released: October 2011, South Korea
Rating: 4.20

Laugh at me all you want, but I actually liked "Lady", and this is a list of my favorite songs, so this belongs here. "Lady" is a gorgeous song, but it also made some kind of statement -- that just because The Boss come from an obscure little agency, doesn't mean they can't be talented, because my goodness are they amazing.


And actually, this is their first formal ballad release. Which is surprising because they've always been pushed as an "idol group who can sing" and usually in Korea that equates to ballads. But I'm not complaining, because I liked their uptempos!

Everything starts out simple enough, with minimal instruments and their gorgeous voices, but slowly, the entire thing just explodes into a glorious mix of epic instrumentals and a gorgeously sung melody. By the end my jaw dropped, and when the resolution came around everything just went blank. The good kind. The kind where you're literally stunned and can't say anything cohesive anymore,

The vocals, oh dear Lord the vocals. They may not be up to par with older, more experienced singers, but for their calibre, my God. The harmonies, the solo lines, the belting -- stunning. Their vocals literally shine, and after hearing this, I don't think anyone can discount the fact that, vocally, they're one of the best idol groups in a long time. Like I said earlier this year, there's still so much they have to improve on, but put them beside any of the newer idol groups and they crush them.

Which is why, even if "Lady" in itself is pretty generic, and if you're not listening well enough it can bore you, they've made it work. The arrangement is simple, but the vocals carry the entire song.

Impetuous Ritual - Relentless Execution of Ceremonial Excrescence

 

Y'ever watch True Blood or read the Sookie Stackhouse novels?

You say you're a heterosexual male... so no?

Let me re-phrase.

Have a girlfriend/wife?

Y'ever passively listen while True Blood plays in the same room as the couch you're sitting on, while waiting for Anna Paquin to get naked again?

That's what I thought, you coy motherfucker.

In said world, "V" (vampire blood) is used as the ultimate psychedelic/ opiate/ steroid/ stimulant drug.

Impetuous Ritual and their full length, Relentless Execution of Ceremonial Excrescence, is like V--

but only if it came from Cthulu!

That's right-- Impetuous Ritual creates the suggestion of mainlining the very life fluid of the most ancient of the Old Ones.

More evidence of said controversial thesis:

One, it's like they're seriously trying (facetiously?) to out-complex-name Carcass and the 1000 death metal bands and their obsession with medical textbook terminology that followed in their wake (e.g., just dig that album title);

Two, if Portal weren't fucking weird enough for you;

Three, if you love Sunn O))) and their obsession with sound and its effects on the human body for their own sake (rather than as music);

Four, if you love that photo above (no shoes or shirt, big-ass 7-string string guitar, grizzly fuck-off beard, bloody face, wrist spikes);

Then THIS is the death/black metal/noise band for you.

Impetuous Ritual, Australian, formed from two members of Portal, released Relentless Execution of Ceremonial Excrescence (on Profound Lore)  in late 2009; since then apparently it has been worming its way to me, presumably via the Pacific then Atlantic Oceans.

That's a creepy thought-- thought it somehow also makes me feel loved. Or at least attended to.

It's low-fi, noisy, blast-beat-ridden, shriek-filled, violent, menacing, incoherent fury that very nearly, if not altogether, transcends the normal functions of music as we know it.

Tracks:

"Convoluting Into Despondent Anachronism" blasts out of the gate and later drops into a sweet noise/doom riff at about 3:00; "Coalescence of Entropy" features some stupid-hard drums, both blast-beats and wildly high-metre 4/4 (I'm guessing around 350 bpm-- and the music-training programs I usually use to practice only go to 340); "Ceremonial Disembowelment," at about 0:50, lurches down into a great tremolo-picked doom riff before it takes off again periodically into blast beats; "Destitution" (instrumental, and my fave so far) is nearly all doom, with a a stupidly-detuned riff in what sounds like fourths (not the fifth of the power chord we all know and usually love); "Ritual of the Crypt" has a fucking cool vibrato'ed doom riff at about 0:50 (new favorite!), and the album closes out with the slow, dirgy "Dirge."

If you're in a mood that's open this type of sound (only scarcely a type of music-- though this isn't an insult)-- this is some cool shit.

Though in all honesty, if you consistently have this on, and love it-- you might seriously consider antipsychotics and/or antidepressants. No functioning human being should be in this mood all the time.

--Horn

[#9] BEAST - "불러보지만 (Though I Call)"

From: "Fiction and Fact" (Album)
Released: May 2011, South Korea
Rating: 4.10

I swear, I keep changing the songs at the last-minute. When I locked the list, the BEAST song I chose was "You", and it's a gorgeous song, but as I listened to it throughout the month, I got bored. Here comes "Though I Call" to the rescue. Actually, this song was one of my first favorites on the album, but I guess time when against it so when I was choosing songs last month, I completely forgot about it. Thank goodness I remembered it in time.

2011 was amazing for BEAST, with "Fiction and Fact" easily being one of the best albums of the year. The A&R was spot-on, and the delivery impeccable -- they tried hard, and it shows. Of course that probably cost Cube an arm and leg, thus leaving nothing for everyone else under them, but I can deal with that. Cube has a lot of redeeming to do in 2012 though, and it better start with G.NA.

But anyway. "Though I Call" is a lot like me other favorite BEAST songs, actually -- "내 여자친구를 부탁해 (Say No)" and "Oasis". They're the songs that really show them putting an effort into their vocals, because let's face it, they weren't the best when they debuted. But, once again, hard work pays off, and their vocals have greatly improved.

The song sounds so BEAST, with the synths, the rapping and the melody all thrown together, from the opening alone you know it's a BEAST song. But it also has grace in the delivery of the vocals and the instrumental. All the elements explode when they need to, but also know when to hold back.

And really, the sweeping melody and the simple but well-orchestrated instrumental make the song such a joy to listen to.

Frank Zappa - Roxy & Elsewhere

Writing about the first album I ever bought with my own money (Zappa/Beefheart's Bongo Fury) set off a huge Frank Zappa LP listening frenzy that is still on-going. And the one that's been getting daily spins is Roxy & Elsewhere, a (surprise, surprise) double live album from 1974. In Zappa's huge and diverse discography, this is often mentioned as a real highlight and I'm inclined to agree that it is one of his best. The band he had at this time and their repertoire successfully combines rock, jazz and classical extremely well and is a great introduction to someone looking to get acquainted with his music.

Speaking of the band, this is truly one of the best units Zappa ever had. The players are all extremely skilled and can execute tricky written arrangements as well as improvise off of anything and transition between styles effortlessly. Joining Zappa on lead guitar and vocals is rhythm guitarist Jeff Simmons, bassist Tom Fowler, his brother Bruce Fowler on trombone, Napoleon Murphy Brock on saxophone and vocals, the incredible George Duke on keyboards and vocals, percussionist Ruth Underwood and the amazing double drum team of Chester Thompson and Ralph Humphrey. That is a serious group of players and Zappa wrote some incredible tunes that showcased all of them at the best of their ability.

Each side of the album starts off with a spoken introduction by Zappa engaging a rowdy crowd before launching into the music. Once the music starts all the songs flow together one after the other like a suite. There are definitely some edits here and there but Zappa was well known for having the tightest band around and could splice parts from one show to another and the tempos would be consistent. The majority of the album was recorded over a 3 night stand at the Roxy in Hollywood as well as shows in Illinois and Pennsylvania plus a bit of studio recordings. The Roxy shows were also filmed and some of the footage has shown up, hopefully a complete show will someday be released. Being able to watch this band in action is something I've always wanted to see. I know a guy who saw this band with the Mahavishnu Orchestra as the opening act play Brooklyn College in 1973 or 74 and he said it was absolutely the best show he ever saw.

Side one is possibly the most accessible. "Penguin In Bondage" is a racy tune with a great groove that doesn't go through too many time changes and flows right into the short "Pygmy Twylyte" and the hilarious "Dummy Up." If you can imagine a collaboration between Duke Ellington and Cheech & Chong, that will give you a good indication of what "Dummy Up" sounds like. Sides two and three are mainly instrumental but contain a catchy vocal tune like "Village Of The Sun" before the band really cuts loose. "Echidna's Arf (Of You)" is a dazzling jam that bears some Charles Mingus influence and seamlessly jumps through many styles. It's followed by the percussion highlight "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing." Most drum solos are kinda boring but this one is not. The two drummers trade solos before setting up a stomping groove for Zappa to play a burning solo over. "Cheepnis" is a funny song paying tribute to low budget 1950's monster movies before segueing into radically different versions of the old Mothers Of Invention songs "Son Of Orange County" and "More Trouble Every Day." The songs are slower than the original versions and have a funkier jazz and blues inflections. The drummers do some incredible work on "More Trouble Every Day" and a few years later when Chester Thompson went to go work for Genesis, some of the same drum fills showed up on their live album. Side four is dedicated to a single song called "Be-Bop Tango (Of The Old Jazzmen's Church)" that has some inspired improvisation and audience interaction. Unlike a lot of prog rock or jazz fusion, Zappa always got the audience involved and would often tailor the concert to who was in the crowd on that night.

Back when I was in high school a lot of the guys I hung around with were really into Yes and the Grateful Dead. Some of their parents were more lenient so we could hang out and smoke pot in their rooms without too much hassle. The only drawback was having to listen to Yes and the Grateful Dead for hours on end. It was pretty lame but better than doing nothing or standing around outside in the wintertime drinking Jack Daniels by myself. Eventually when they were really baked they'd let me play an album side and I'd usually pick one from this album. I figured they'd like the music when they were high but it was usually too overwhelming for them and after a few minutes it was back to Tormato or Europe 72 for the millionth time. A couple of those guys wound up with serious drug problems and suffered pretty hard lives. Some of them are no longer with us. Maybe all the crazy time and stylistic changes on this album kept me a little more awake. Either way, I've always loved this album and am very happy have it back in regular rotation.

--Woody

[#10] Kim Junsu - "You Are So Beautiful"

From: "Scent of a Woman Soundtrack" (OST)
Released: September 2011, South Korea
Rating: 4.00

Screw all the other drama theme songs that came out this year, "You Are So Beautiful" is ballad master class with the god of ballads, and you really can't do better than that.

It has a quaint melody, with some quirk around the edges, and it's not all tear-jerking melodrama. It's also not too big on the high notes, but not completely lacking in them either. Reminds me a lot of slightly creamier fro-yo, a bit creamy, but still tart.

Junsu's vocals are the highlight and focus of the song, and everything is stunningly perfect -- from the technique, to the belting, to every single little detail of his vocals. Not too much screaming, but not too much airiness either. It's just the right mix of dynamics to leave you stunned at the end of it all.

That, laced with a straightforward, what you hear is what you get, instrumental that goes straight to the point, makes Junsu's voice stand out even more. The instrumental is still gorgeous though, with a touch of electric guitar behind the gorgeous strings and the crisp piano line.

Throw all of those together, and you have one of the most stunning ballads of the year.

Ripple Music Celebrates a Rockin' 2011 with End of the Year Sale!

 

What a year it's been!

Following the debut Ripple releases of 2010, which found Ripple Music topping several Year-End "Best of Lists," Ripple returned in 2011 determined to build upon the love music fans have shown for authentic, guitar-driven rock 'n roll. And to say 2011 was an exciting year would be an understatement!

Following the release of the Stone Axe debut album with bonus live material, and a companion DVD, Ripple released more Stone Axe via the Heavy Ripples compilation double 7”, with Mighty High, Grifter, and Sun Gods In Exile. And speaking of Grifter, their Ripple debut album is already finding it's way onto several year-end "Best of" lists. Ripple then followed that with the deluxe 10 year anniversary re-issue edition of the long-out-of print first Mos Generator album with a killer vinyl, CD, and digital download package that has been flying off the shelves!

But perhaps the biggest surprise of the year, was the overwhelming response to the Ripple release of Scotland’s Iron Claw, and their first recorded material in 40 years, A Different Game. Metal Odyssey has hailed this release as the "Comeback Album of the Year!" and the band as one of the greatest rock n roll comeback stories of all time!

To celebrate all this music nirvana, Ripple Music will help get the music into the listener's hands with a special, Year-end sale at the Ripple Store. All Ripple releases will be 20% starting December 16th and running into the new year, ending on January 2nd. That's 20% off all releases! All vinyl, 7", CD's and even the special "packages" like the ultimate Stone Axe package (debut vinyl, Collector's edition CD/DVD, and Stone Axe/Mighty High split).

It's just Ripple's way of saying thank you to its loyal customers, the waveriders, and a way to spread the music around as Ripple prepares for an even bigger 2012!

RIPPLE MUSIC STORE

[#11] Brown Eyed Girls - "Sixth Sense"

We're finally at song #11, which means that starting tomorrow, up until new year's eve, I will be revealing my top ten songs of the year. One by one. Oh the agony. Mwahahahahahah! So which song just missed the cut?

From: "SIXTH SENSE" (Album), South Korea
Released: September 2011
Rating: 3.98

And this, my friends, is how you sing a song. It is also how you make a song with attitude. And to top it all off, I actually adore "Sixth Sense". Kick, attitude, punch, whatever you want to call it, "Sixth Sense" is it.


Basically, the reason why this song works so well is that they can actually sing. Extremely well. If they didn't have the vocals they do, this song would have been a pure and utter failure, not to mention a disgrace. And the good thing is that they actually show it off, but not too much.

The chorus is a mix of screaming and melodic singing, and although it's a bit anticlimactic (not as much as it was when I first heard it though), it does the trick. It's a scream-fest, yes, but it's a melodious and ever so slightly feminine, scream-fest. They scream enough to wow you (and make you go O.O), but they also dilute it enough to keep your eardrums alive, and let you recover from the shock.

Let us take a moment to drop everything and worship the verses of this song. They are stunning. Smooth, melodious, slightly interesting, but powerful and catchy at the same time. But they're also rather simple, with the right amount of repetitiveness, simple enough to remember after a few listens here and there.

The entire song has a pinch of arrogance to it, but that's exactly what it needs. The arrogance leads to punch, and the punch leads to power, and the power leads to a strong, literally stunning, song.